Forest Cover and Change
|
Total Forest |
Natural Forest |
Plantations |
||||||||||||
|
Total Land |
Average Annual |
Average Annual |
Average Annual |
|||||||||||
|
Area |
1980 |
1990 |
1995 |
Percent Change |
1990 |
1995 |
Percent Change |
1990 |
Percent Change |
|||||
|
(000 ha) |
(000 ha) |
(000 ha) |
(000 ha) |
1980-90 |
1990-95 |
(000 ha) |
(000 ha) |
1980-90 |
1990-95 |
(000 ha) |
1980-90 |
|||
|
Belize |
2,280 |
2,048 |
1,995 |
1,962 |
(0.3) |
(0.3) |
1,993 |
1,960 |
-0.3 |
-0.3 |
2 |
0 |
||
|
Cuba |
10,982 |
1,998 |
1,960 |
1,842 |
(0.2) |
(1.2) |
1,715 |
1,597 |
-1.0 |
-1.4 |
245 |
8 |
||
|
Dominican Republic |
4,838 |
1,432 |
1,714 |
1,582 |
1.8 |
(1.6) |
1,707 |
1,575 |
1.8 |
-1.6 |
7 |
6 |
||
|
Guyana |
19,685 |
18,597 |
18,620 |
18,577 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
18,612 |
18,569 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
8 |
29 |
||
|
Haiti |
2,756 |
38 |
25 |
21 |
(4.3) |
(3.5) |
17 |
13 |
-8.1 |
-5.2 |
8 |
33 |
||
|
Jamaica |
1,083 |
516 |
254 |
175 |
(7.1) |
(7.5) |
239 |
160 |
-7.5 |
-8.0 |
15 |
5 |
||
|
Suriname |
15,600 |
14,901 |
14,782 |
14,721 |
(0.1) |
(0.1) |
14,774 |
14,713 |
-0.1 |
-0.1 |
8 |
4 |
||
|
Trinidad and Tobago |
513 |
204 |
174 |
161 |
(1.6) |
(1.6) |
161 |
148 |
-1.8 |
-1.6 |
13 |
1 |
||
|
Caribbean |
57,737 |
39,734 |
39,524 |
39,041 |
.. |
.. |
39,218 |
38,735 |
.. |
.. |
306 |
.. |
||
|
Costa Rica |
5,106 |
1,925 |
1,455 |
1,248 |
(2.8) |
(3.1) |
1,427 |
1,220 |
-3.0 |
-3.1 |
28 |
27 |
||
|
El Salvador |
2,072 |
156 |
124 |
105 |
(2.3) |
(3.3) |
120 |
101 |
-2.5 |
-3.5 |
4 |
15 |
||
|
Guatemala |
10,843 |
5,049 |
4,253 |
3,841 |
(1.7) |
(2.0) |
4,225 |
3,813 |
-1.8 |
-2.1 |
28 |
10 |
||
|
Honduras |
11,189 |
5,720 |
4,626 |
4,115 |
(2.1) |
(2.3) |
4,623 |
4,112 |
-2.1 |
-2.3 |
3 |
24 |
||
|
Nicaragua |
12,140 |
7,255 |
6,314 |
5,560 |
(1.4) |
(2.5) |
6,300 |
5,546 |
-1.4 |
-2.6 |
14 |
27 |
||
|
Panama |
7,443 |
3,764 |
3,118 |
2,800 |
(1.9) |
(2.2) |
3,112 |
2,794 |
-1.9 |
-2.2 |
6 |
9 |
||
|
Central America |
48,793 |
23,869 |
19,890 |
17,669 |
.. |
.. |
19,807 |
17,586 |
.. |
.. |
83 |
.. |
||
|
Argentina |
273,669 |
36,527 |
34,389 |
33,942 |
(0.6) |
(0.3) |
33,842 |
33,395 |
-0.6 |
-0.3 |
547 |
1 |
||
|
Bolivia |
108,438 |
55,582 |
51,217 |
48,310 |
(0.8) |
(1.2) |
51,189 |
48,282 |
-0.8 |
-1.2 |
28 |
4 |
||
|
Brazil |
845,651 |
600,762 |
563,911 |
551,139 |
(0.6) |
(0.5) |
559,011 |
546,239 |
-0.7 |
-0.5 |
4,900 |
5 |
||
|
Chile |
74,880 |
8,087 |
8,038 |
7,892 |
(0.1) |
(0.4) |
7,023 |
6,877 |
-0.8 |
-0.4 |
1,015 |
8 |
||
|
Colombia |
103,870 |
57,771 |
54,299 |
52,988 |
(0.6) |
(0.5) |
54,173 |
52,862 |
-0.6 |
-0.5 |
126 |
12 |
||
|
Ecuador |
27,684 |
14,372 |
12,082 |
11,137 |
(1.7) |
(1.6) |
12,037 |
11,092 |
-1.8 |
-1.6 |
45 |
4 |
||
|
Paraguay |
39,730 |
16,886 |
13,160 |
11,527 |
(2.5) |
(2.6) |
13,151 |
11,518 |
-2.5 |
-2.7 |
9 |
15 |
||
|
Peru |
128,000 |
70,714 |
68,646 |
67,562 |
(0.3) |
(0.3) |
68,462 |
67,378 |
-0.3 |
-0.3 |
184 |
7 |
||
|
Uruguay |
17,481 |
803 |
816 |
814 |
0.2 |
0.0 |
660 |
658 |
-0.1 |
-0.1 |
156 |
1 |
||
|
Venezuela |
88,205 |
51,768 |
46,512 |
43,995 |
(1.1) |
(1.1) |
46,259 |
43,742 |
-1.1 |
-1.1 |
253 |
11 |
||
|
South America |
1,707,608 |
913,272 |
853,070 |
829,306 |
.. |
.. |
845,807 |
822,043 |
.. |
.. |
7,263 |
.. |
||
|
Mexico |
190,869 |
55,423 |
57,927 |
55,387 |
0.4 |
(0.9) |
57,818 |
55,278 |
0.4 |
-0.9 |
109 |
7 |
||
|
LAC |
2,005,007 |
1,032,298 |
970,411 |
941,403 |
.. |
.. |
962,650 |
933,642 |
.. |
.. |
7,761 |
.. |
||
Sources: Total Land Area: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), FAOSTAT Statistics Database, Rome, 1998. Forest Data: The World Resources Institute (WRI), World Resources, A Guide to the Global Environment, 1998-99, Washington, D.C., 1998.
Definitions: Total forest consists of all forest area for temperate developed countries, and the sum of natural forest and plantation area categories for tropical and temperate developing countries. Natural forest in tropical and temperate developing countries is defined as a forest composed primarily of indigenous tree species. Natural forests include closed forest, where trees cover a high proportion of the ground and grass does not form a continuous la yer on the forest floor, and open forest, defined as mixed forest/grasslands with at least 10 percent tree cover and a continuous grass layer on the forest floor. Plantations refer to forest stands established artificially by afforestation and r eforestation for industrial and nonindustrial usage.
Notes: Subregional averages are weighted by total land area. If the average annual percent change is negative, the figure reflects net deforestation, which is defined as the clearing of forest lands for all forms of agricultural uses, a nd land uses such as settlements, other infrastructure and mining. Deforestation, as defined here, does not reflect changes within the forest stand or site, such as selective logging (unless the forest cover is permanently reduced to less than 10 percent). Such changes are termed forest degradation, and they can substantially affect forests, forest soil, wildlife and its habitat, and the global carbon cycle. Thus, the effects from the reported deforestation figures may be less than the effects f rom the total deforestation that includes all types of forest alterations. [an error occurred while processing this directive]